Weekly Journal

Regular evaluation updates are required, as with every unit. Please

remember to take photos and get behind the scenes footage as you film.
You might find it easier if you note down a record of what you did each day
in a diary form.

Please use the following guidance to help you with each week.

Week 1 This week you worked on your research

What have you been asked to This week we focussed on developing our knowledge
do? on Radio dramas and what elements within them
help to make them successful.

Radio dramas are a form of storytelling that relies

purely on audio. They consist of both dialogue and
sound effects to depict an understandable narrative
that is both easy to follow and engaging. Often actors
record dialogue from a script and then Foley is used
to create sound effects that are appropriate for the
scenes. The sound effects are often used to depict
the action happening within the drama, allowing the
audience to know what is happening at all times.
Radio dramas can be both serial and stand alone. An
example of a popular serial drama is The Archers,
which with over 19,000 episodes is the worlds longest
running Radio drama to date.

Within our brief we were asked to produce our own

Radio drama with a student based target audience.
Before we could begin, we had to learn about the
different codes and conventions included in Radio
dramas. These include how the dialogue is used to
engage the audience to how silences and fades are
incorporated to indicate the start and end of scenes. I
listened to lots of different productions, including ones
created by past students and an extract from a
professional radio drama. Within these I had to
identify how the plot was made clear for the
audience and how sound effects where used to
contribute to different scenes.

I hope to incorporate these elements into my own

drama to create a story that is both easy to follow
and interesting. I aim to create a high quality Radio

How has analysing other
productions helped you to
understand the genre better?
How will your understanding of
codes and conventions now help
drama that appeals to my target audience by using
my research and brief alongside my own ideas.
When analysing other productions, it has helped me
to understand what goes into a Radio drama and
what makes them successful. By listening to different
productions, I could highlight where different codes
and conventions of radio dramas where included
and how they impacted the piece. This research
should help me with my own drama as I will have lots
of different examples and techniques to reference in
my planning stages. These should help me create a
successful piece.
I found it interesting to learn that it is not just the
dialogue that helps a drama make sense, but the
way it’s performed that helps the audience
understand more about the narrative and characters.
For example, the accents used helps make it clear
where the characters are from, how old they are and
sometimes even where the drama is set.
Also, when analysing the other productions, I have
been able to learn how an environment is developed
via the use of audio. This is often done with sound
effects, depicting the location, actions and providing
context for the scene. Location can be depicted
through weather sound effects, such as rain fall or a
breeze. When sound effects are used to develop
these smaller details, it helps the drama to remain
simple to listen to while also including a lot of intricate
moments.
A lot of the productions worked successfully through
the use of conversational dialogue. The interactions
between characters taking up a lot of the drama
while providing both context and interest for the
audience. This was particularly evident within the
student production, ‘Saints and Sinners’. The narrative
followed an escaped criminal who has visited a
church for a confession. Almost all of the piece is a
conversation between the Criminal and the Priest.
Later on, there is also a conversation that takes place
when the Priest reports the Criminal to the authorities.
Overall, all of the dialogue within the drama is
conversation, yet the piece still delivers a fascinating
narrative.
Codes and conventions are what make a Radio
drama successful, elements such as sound effects,
dialogue and background music work together to
create a Radio drama. With a greater understanding
you to produce a better of these aspects I will be able to include them in my
production? own work and develop my own ideas to a high
standard. Many of the codes in dramas appear as
small detail, but when included they have a big
impact.

One important code is speech, which is how the

words are spoken. If a character is feeling angry, hurt
and excited the actor will speak in a way that
presents this to the audience, helping them to
comprehend how that character is feeling. By
including this in my drama I will be able to create a
piece that easily conveys a narrative and meaning
without any spoken indication directed at the
audience.

An important convention within Radio drama is Aural

signposting. This is used to indicate to the audience
that something is happening, such as a telephone
ringing suggesting a conversation is about to take
place. These moments allow the audience to follow
the narrative effortlessly. I plan to include moments
like these within my own drama, as I find it interesting
that you can foreshadow a moment or action without
any spoken indication.
What did you learn from At one point we where given a clip from the film
practising recording Foley Jurassic park, however the usual audio had been
sounds? (Radio Drama Only) removed from the scene and our task was to replace
it with our own. The extract featured two Velociraptors
chasing two children around a kitchen, knocking
things over as they went. When watching the clip, I
was able to identify how Foley should be used to
create realistic sounds and an atmosphere that were
appropriate for the scenes. Much of the Foley
needed to match actions within the scene. For
example, in one moment a dinosaur swings around, its
tail knocking over a pile of pans onto the children. To
accompany this action, I needed to create a sound
that realistically matched the pans colliding with the
floor. Without a similar set of props, I needed to create
the moment with what resources I could easily find.
For the end result I used three metal water bottles and
used my arm to knock the bottles over in a similar way
to the dinosaur’s tail.

Due to the high action nature of the scene, there

were moments where the most prominent sound
heard was the sound of the children’s heavy
breathing. Usually this sound would be provided by
the actors either in the scene or after in a re-recorded

What did you learn from Voice for
broadcast task? What do you
need to improve on to become a
presenter? (Broadcast only)
What did you learn when using
Adobe Audition? What skills do
you need to develop with this
software?
version. As this audio had been removed, I had an
actor recreate the breathing in an audio format. This
was produced as realistically as possible and the
actor ran for a few minutes to create a resemblance
to the fast paced breathing.
Once I began recording the Foley sounds it became
clear that how simple it was to recreate a sound, such
as footsteps or spoons hitting one another without the
specific objects. If you can find something that
creates a similar sound you can create an audio that
suits the action. Sometimes changing location can
impact the sound recorded. For example, if the room
in the visual element appears to be one that would
have an echo, you can record the audio in a similar
environment and the results will be as realistic as
possible.
When recording Foley, it is best to do it in a quiet
room, where little other sound is produced, making
the recorded audios the highest quality possible.
When I first started using Adobe Audition, I was quickly
able to identify which tools work in a similar manner to
the ones on Adobe Premiere Pro, such as the razor
tool. This is simply used to cut different parts the audio
so that I can delete them or move them around
without affecting the rest of the audio. Another
similarity I noticed is the layout of the software. Both
Premier and Audition have the ability to layer tracks,
allowing me to include lots of footage at once, while
also choosing what appears more prominently. In
Adobe Audition, this can be done easily by adjusting
the volume of different tracks to choose which ones
are louder and which are quieter.
When using the software, I found it hard to edit sounds
to make them sound even more realistic. There is a
range of effects available that you can add to your
audio, such as reverb and making the audio sound
like it is coming from a distance. I had a vague idea
of what each one of them did but found it difficult to
apply to my audio so that I could use them to the best
of their ability. In the future I need to spend some time
practicing with different audios and effects, trying

How did researching your target
audience help you develop your
idea?
them out so that I know how to use each one. I also
plan to watch some tutorials so that I can figure out
different techniques to use when editing with the
software.
As I was still learning how to work the software while
doing my work, I found the task much more time
consuming than I expected. I hope this will become
easier with practice.
Despite being unsure about multiple elements within
the software I was able to edit and adjust my audio to
suit the scene. In the future I plan to spend time
working on the software to gain more experience and
develop my skills so that I can edit audio much more
confidently.
My primary research consisted or addressing my
target audience directly and asking them a series of
questions so that I could learn what they already
knew about Radio dramas. I also had the opportunity
to ask my audience what they enjoyed either on the
radio or TV so that I could recognise which genres
where most popular within the group.
The first form of primary research I conducted were
Vox Pops, which means ‘voice of the people’. These
are short clips of my target audience answering
question on what they enjoy watching and listening to
the most. One of our questions asked the public which
genre of TV series they watched the most. The most
popular answer amongst respondents was comedy. I
plan to take this into account and research some
comedy based Radio dramas to see if this is
something I myself could produce.
When conducting the Vox Pops it became
increasingly apparent that the majority of the
interviewees were unsure as to what a ‘drama’ was.
Many only recognised the term once the phrase
‘Crime Drama’ was introduced. Taking this into
account I understand that my final idea must be
something that will engage my target audience and
should encourage those who don’t usually listen to
Radio dramas or podcasts to listen.
 We also conducted a survey, asking the public similar
questions to those asked in the Vox Pops. The idea
was that the survey would help us get more honest
answers as often people don’t want to provide
negative feedback in person. A survey also gives the
respondent a chance to think about their answer
before they respond, the anonymous feature
encouraging them to give more in depth answers.
Surveys also allow you to reach a greater audience as
people can fill it out whenever they have time,
compared to a Vox Pop which is only successful if the
respondent has time.

We received a positive number of responses to our

survey, with an average age of 17 year olds
responding. Again the most popular genre was
comedy, with 9 out of 22 people stating that was their
favourite. Overall, tense, scary and humourous moods
appeared to be the most popular. We took the survey
as a chance to ask our audience what they looked
for in a character. 7/8 people said they would like to
see a character they can relate to, as well as a
character that is a similar age to them. I plan to take
this into account when developing the characters for
my drama as my aim is to appeal to my audience as
much as possible.

Are you on track for this week? If I am not on track; I have one more task to finish.
not, how far behind are you?
What work do you need to I need to analyse my infographics and research.
complete outside of lessons to
stay on track?
Week 2 This week you worked on your planning
What did you learn from your
planning? How has it helped you
to progress your idea?
How has your idea
developed/changed during the
planning stage?
When planning my Radio drama I had to consider all
of the elements that would impact my production. By
planning in advance I have been able to provide
myself with all the information I need to carry out my
idea and record the Radio drama next week. The
planning will make it a lot easier to complete my
practical work as I won’t have to consider how any of
the elements will work, I will simply go ahead with the
work.
The first thing I had to do was produce two ideas,
which at first I found difficult. As the piece only has to
be 5 minutes long I found it was easier to think of the
conflict the characters should face and then develop
it further. I thought about what caused my characters
to be in their situation and also how they would get
out of it. I then had to decide who my characters
would be, and how I would distinguish between them.
By developing a detailed character profile for each
of my characters I was able to develop my original
idea as a whole. Who the characters were dictated
how they would react in certain situations, for
example, a character who has lived a very sheltered
life would react negatively when in a dangerous
situation. Knowing more about my characters allowed
me to add the smaller details such as reactions to my
idea, and helped me produce a story that was
realistic and engaging.
I also had to look into my actors and who would play
each character. When choosing my actors I had to
be sure they were appropriate for the role. I need to
audition my characters next week before we
rehearse and record the Radio drama to ensure they
can perform the characters accordingly. This element
is crucial as if the actors cannot perform the
characters then it will be harder for the audience to
understand the drama.
Within the planning stages my idea has developed
and changed with each element. My original idea
was very vague and consisted only of a brief outline
for a plot. As I developed my characters I was able to
introduce causes and consequences for the conflicts
within my story. For example, I knew my two
characters would be hiding in an abandoned manor
house but I was unsure why. When developing my
characters I decided that one of them would have to
steal from people to make enough money to survive.
I then decided that the pair would be hiding in the

How did you ensure that your
script was to a high standard?
house as they are running from the police. This is a
consequence of the characters past actions and
background, as well as the cause of their situation
within the house.
My idea also changed while I was planning which
Foley sounds and music I would use. While choosing
these elements I was also creating a soundscape and
environment in which my scenes would take place. To
choose my sound effects I would need to know what
was happening in each scene. For example, a chair
moving across a wooden floor would create a loud
scraping sound.
Before I began planning I created a survey and sent it
out to members of my target audience, to research
what they already knew and enjoyed about Radio
dramas. I then took these responses into account
when developing the ideas for my own production.
One noticeable result of my survey was that most
people enjoyed scary and tense moods. Therefore,
when creating my production I focused on these
moods. I then chose to further my idea based on a
haunted/ abandoned house as this idea linked
closely with the theme of tension.
Before writing my script, I spent some time ensuring I
knew the order of events. This made writing my script
a lot easier and meant I could do it a lot more
efficiently than if I had been unprepared. I did the
same with the dialogue, I took my time thinking about
what I wanted each character to say as well as
considering how they would say it. Not everyone
speaks in the same way, mannerisms and accents
affect how different people talk. So when writing my
script I had to make sure I wrote how I wanted the
actor to read it.
I also spent time considering where I wanted different
sound effects and music to go. By doing this it ensured
that when I had to create my Foley sounds and
searching for music, I knew exactly what I was looking
for. It also meant that when I was editing my Radio
drama, I would know which sound effects where
needed and where they had to go. I also included in
my script what kind of music I was looking for, so while
I was searching for the music, I knew exactly what was
needed.
While making my script I paid a lot of attention to how
it was laid out. I wanted it to be presented in a

What issues did you have when
planning your production? How
did you overcome them?
What did you learn from the
recording of your Foley sounds?
How much work did you
complete outside of the lessons?
manner that was easy to read and understandable. I
followed an example given to us from the Radio
drama ‘Dark Passenger’. I made sure all of my text
was formatted in the same way so that it was easy to
differentiate between the line and who was supposed
to be saying it. I also underlined the notes about
sound and music so that I could tell the difference
between them and the dialogue.
When planning my production I faced multiple
challenges that I had to overcome. One of these was
time management. I had found my actors very early
on, but it became difficult to find a time that they
were available to record. There was a lack of
communication at times making it even more difficult.
In the end we were able to agree on a time and
when I put my production schedule together, I took
the chance to input the other tasks I needed to
complete. This should help me manage what I am
doing next week when I am actually recording my
drama.
Another challenge I faced was coming up with my
initial ideas. I struggled to develop a storyline and had
to do some extra research to find something I could
work from. In the end I took interest in an abandoned
manor house and developed the idea that someone
was stuck inside. However, to reach this point I had to
make notes and learn more about the manors history
before I could ensure my storyline made sense.
Finally I found writing my script challenging. Script
writing for a Radio drama is very different to script
writing for productions with a visual element. I have
more experience with the latter. Writing for a Radio
drama involves a different layout lacks the
information stating what an actor should do
physically. This must be replaced with what sounds
would be included as well as what music. To get
started on my script I set out my work appropriately
and once I began writing I was consistently
referencing my work against the script for ‘Dark
Passenger’. Once I was confident, I knew what to
include I continued writing on my own.
I was unable to record my Foley sounds this week and
will record them next week.
Outside of lessons I took the time to finalise my initial
ideas, doing extra research to develop them and
making sure they would be appropriate for my target
audience and the time of day they would be shown.

Are you on track for this week? If
not, how far behind are you?
What work do you need to
complete outside of lessons to
stay on track?
Week 3 / 4 Production
What practical work have you
done and how helpful was your
earlier planning?
The extra research helped me in class as it meant
when I began writing my script, I knew a lot more
about my chosen location, Berkyn Manor, and could
easily imagine what kind of environment and
soundscape I wanted to create.
I also developed my characters outside of lessons, at
first creating brief mind maps explaining their interests,
relationships, background and physical attributes. I
then transferred these into more detailed paragraphs,
creating a character profile for each character.
These profiles helped me to evolve my characters
and figure out the more minor details about them and
my storyline. By creating these it allowed me to
produce a much more realistic script as I knew a lot
more about how my characters would speak, act
and react to different situations.
No, I need to record my Foley sounds and source any
others that I cannot produce myself.
I still need to record my Foley sounds but I have set
aside time next week to do so.
This week you worked on your production
This week I recorded the dialogue and Foley sounds
for my Radio drama and then proceeded to begin
the editing stages. In the past week I completed
planning work that I could use when completing
practical work. Overall the planning prepared me so
that I would know what to complete and how it had
to be done.
One example of planning helping with my practical
work is my script. I used the script a lot this week,
taking every detail into account. It was particularly
used a lot when recording the dialogue for my
drama. I gave each of my actors a copy so they
could learn their lines and study the prompts. This idea
worked well because it meant during recording my
actors were able to perform the lines exactly how I
imagined them. By including these details in the script
it meant I didn’t have to waste time asking my actors
to perform lines differently. I only had an hour in the
sound booth, so I wanted to get multiple high quality
recordings in a short space of time. The script also

How will this be useful as your
production process continues?
gave me a chance to read through my work later on
and make any changes at the last minute, by printing
it out I could edit lines easily.
I also planned in advance which Foley sounds I
needed to make as well as how I would make them.
When doing this I produced a sound table. This table
stated whether I would record the sound effects
myself or whether I would have to find them online. If
it was Foley I stated where and when I would record
them, allowing the table to link with my production
schedule. If the sounds were found online I included a
link for them, allowing me to easily find them again
and provide evidence that it wasn’t my own. By
deciding how I would create Foley sounds In
advance I prevented myself from trying to create
them in my short period for recording. This saved time
and also meant I had time to record the sounds
multiple times so that they were at a high quality.
As I continue to edit my Radio drama, I plan to use my
script to layout the sound effects and music where I
planned to. This will help me achieve my desired
effect with the sounds and also save me time while
editing as I won’t have to plan it out as I go. This will
also be useful as I will know where to edit and cut the
dialogue so that it makes sense and lacks the
unnecessary pauses picked up in the recording
stages.
Another element of my planning that will be useful as
production continues is the planning for my Foley
sounds. This will be helpful as it will ensure I have every
sound effect needed as well as multiple versions of it.
Meaning I can focus solely on editing and shouldn’t
have to record anymore within my editing time.
When planning I also developed a production
schedule, explaining when each stage of production
takes place. So far, I have followed this well and as
production continues, I plan to continue using it.
Therefore, I should be able to finish my edit and
complete my evaluation in time for my deadline.
Upload your behind the scenes This image shows the
photos and videos (explain what very beginning of my
they show) editing process. It is a
screen grab taken just
after I had began
editing the dialogue for
my Radio drama. I
began by putting just the dialogue into Adobe
Audition and then cutting out any unnecessary
pauses and interruptions. I also cut up the dialogue to
leave gaps where I planned to introduce sound
effects. By doing this it made it a lot easier for me to
add in the other sound elements. It also gave me the
chance to separate the different scenes, so that it
aligned with the script and worked as I had planned. I
had multiple recordings of the dialogue, so by doing
this first it gave me the chance to choose the best
version and add in moments that worked well in the
other recordings to achieve the best possible
outcome.

This screengrab
shows the later
stages of my editing
process. You can
see in the images
where I have added
other tracks into
Adobe Audition.
These tracks include my own Foley sounds, sourced
sound effects, and music. By including these I was
able to produce a soundscape that was appropriate
for my story and provided action and context for the
listener. I layered different sound effects up to
produce different sounds, for example to create the
sound of a crash I layered up the sound of someone
jumping and books falling. I also linked sounds
together to make them longer. When I used my police
siren sound effect I found it was too short, so I played
it multiple times, the different copies fading into one
another to create a smooth transition and making the
sound effect longer. This was the final stage in my
editing so far, so every element I wanted to use is
included.

Next I plan to neaten up the edit by making sure

each sound effect is long enough and works well with
the dialogue. I want to check the volume of each
sound so that the audience can understand the

What issues did you encounter
when recording and how did you
overcome them?
How well have you worked to
your production schedule?
Are you on track for this week? If
not, how far behind are you?
piece well without an overwhelming sound effect or
struggling to hear the dialogue.
I faced multiple issues when recording and one of
them included my actor’s availability. Both of my
actors were willing to take part however the week I
planned to record they were very busy. Therefore, I
had to work around my actor’s timetables to find a
time we could all attend. I managed to find one at
the beginning of the week, however it was only an
hour and a half long. In order to record everything in
this time frame I had to make sure everything was
prepared and explained before hand so that we
could all work efficiently. I was able to explain the
audition and rehearsal process to the pair and send
them both the scripts and character profiles so that
when our recording session arrived they were already
aware of what I was expecting. We worked to do a
few rehearsals read throughs, auditions and
recordings of the script and we finished in an hour.
Unfortunately when I began editing I discovered that
my script had not been long enough for the five
minute brief. The drama was only three minutes long. I
considered re-recording or adding more narrative so
that it made up the missing time, but my actors were
unable to attend. In the future I plan to develop a
contingency plan, including back up actors and
times, so that if this circumstance were to happen
again I could still find a way to meet my brief.
My production schedule has helped me to
understand what I needed to do and when so that I
can meet my deadline on time.
This week I have followed my production schedule
well, I was able to get all recording done by
Wednesday as planned and begin editing on
Thursday. Because I have followed my production
schedule I am confident that everything within my
control is up to date, I just need to receive some
feedback for my production schedule.
Next week if I follow my production schedule I hope
to have my final edit done by Wednesday and begin
my feedback and evaluation in time for the deadline
on Friday 31st January.
I am missing my feedback for my first draft as I am yet
to receive some.
What work do you need to I need to send out another survey for my first draft and
complete outside of lessons to ask people to fill it out.
stay on track?
High Grade Tips

Use screenshots to support your analysis – especially when comparing your work to other
pieces.

Considered and capable demonstration of processes – detailed documentation of your

production process – such as still images, and annotated screenshots of your specific
production and editing process – including ‘what’ and ‘why’ and not just ‘how’.

Specific – be specific! Don’t just say e.g. ‘the lighting was good’ – show us where the
lighting looked good and why you think that.

Final evaluation on whole unit This week you worked on your production

Comparison to researched Is your production to a professional standard? Take

productions screenshots from your production and the productions you
analysed in your research (especially anywhere you tried to
recreate something you had researched). Is your
production as good? Why? Why not? What could you
improve?
Production Strengths Overall, what were the strengths of your production? Use
some screenshots / downloaded clips to show anything of
which you are particularly proud. That might be shots or
images from you creating Foley sounds or images of you
recording your work.

You need to gather feedback on your production from your

classmates and discuss the positive things they have said.
How were you able to get such good feedback? (This can
be done in the form of vox pops, interviews, focus groups or
surveys.)

You should also discuss feedback that you got from your
teachers and how this was helpful or informative
Production weaknesses Overall, what were the weaknesses of your production?

Why have these weaknesses occurred? What needs

improving? Is it your practical skills? Could you have done
more research? Did you not plan your recording effectively
and end up doing things very last minute? Consider the
entire production process and really think about what might
have let your production down. As above but for any
negative points you received in your feedback. What could
you have done to avoid these issues? How could you
improve next time.
Did you meet your goals? Think back to the goals that were set in the brief and the
Why/why not? goals you set yourself (you should have mentioned these in
your opening paragraph). Discuss whether you met them
effectively. If you didn’t quite achieve your goals, consider
why and how you could improve for next time.
Self-evaluation At the end of the unit, how do you see yourself as a
practitioner? What are you strengths? Which areas do you
need to develop?

Write a brief outline of what you need to work on in terms of

your personal development. Do you need to work more out
of class? Do you need to develop your practical skills? Do
you need to move outside of your comfort zone more? Do
you need to spend more time on the "boring" bits (research,
planning, etc)? Discuss what you need to work on and
how/why this will help you.
High Grade Tips

Use screenshots to support your analysis – especially when comparing your work to other
pieces.

Considered and capable demonstration of processes – detailed documentation of your

production process – such as still images, and annotated screenshots of your specific
production and editing process – including ‘what’ and ‘why’ and not just ‘how’.

Specific – be specific! Don’t just say e.g. ‘the lighting was good’ – show us where the
lighting looked good and why you think that.